Plum
Well-known member
I have not ordered from this company but they appear to have some kits Seawater Pumps - SpeedSeal Covers
Www.solocoastalsailing.co.uk
Speedseal ceased trading
- Thread starter RivalRedwing
- Start date
Www.solocoastalsailing.co.uk
dgadee
Well-known member
I used to study the patent system before I escaped work. Just to clarify - you can copy and make for personal use any invention. The patent system protects against commercial use.
The speedseal patent has expired after its 20 year life (on 2016-07-06). It has, in its life, been void through non payment of fees but the fees were paid and it was put back onto the books (2013). You can see all this on the Espacenet patent search system (note that it is not EU - the European Patent Office has not yet been subsumed by the EU). Look for GB2302137A Granted 1997-01-08 with PARKER ALEXANDER MARTIN [GB] as the inventor (and I suppose owner). Applied for in 1995.
You can go for it, manufacturing and selling it without problem.
[Not legal advice ... as they say].
The speedseal patent has expired after its 20 year life (on 2016-07-06). It has, in its life, been void through non payment of fees but the fees were paid and it was put back onto the books (2013). You can see all this on the Espacenet patent search system (note that it is not EU - the European Patent Office has not yet been subsumed by the EU). Look for GB2302137A Granted 1997-01-08 with PARKER ALEXANDER MARTIN [GB] as the inventor (and I suppose owner). Applied for in 1995.
You can go for it, manufacturing and selling it without problem.
[Not legal advice ... as they say].
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rotrax
Well-known member
The name 'Speedseal' may well be protected as a trademark or have copyright though.
Worth checking out.....................................
Worth checking out.....................................
dgadee
Well-known member
On a quick search can't see a relevant trademark. But why would you use that name anyway? Get your own.
Copyright is a different beast from patents and trademarks. Write your own manual and advertising and you'll be fine.
And you can also check available domain names online, too. Easy enough.
dgadee
Well-known member
Just looked at the patent itself. I think a decent engineer would have been able to work around it - it claims the cover plate with slots, knurled screws and an o ring which sits in a channel rather than the rotating bits. I am pretty sure the o ring in channel would have been difficult to uphold.
Not sure about costs for litigation now, but I don't think protecting this in court (Patents County Court as it was in my time) would have been a sensible use of funds.
It is much easier to get a patent than to enforce it.
Not sure about costs for litigation now, but I don't think protecting this in court (Patents County Court as it was in my time) would have been a sensible use of funds.
It is much easier to get a patent than to enforce it.
Sailfree
Well-known member
I bought one of their products for the difficult to access water impellor cover on my Yanmar.
Excellent product but my understanding is that the inventor/manufacturer and patent holder has stopped selling/producing these due to ill health.
Sad but hope he is OK.
In the meantime unless he sell the patent to another manufacturer its there for anyone to copy and i would hope the inventor would say good luck and i hope my product lives on!
Excellent product but my understanding is that the inventor/manufacturer and patent holder has stopped selling/producing these due to ill health.
Sad but hope he is OK.
In the meantime unless he sell the patent to another manufacturer its there for anyone to copy and i would hope the inventor would say good luck and i hope my product lives on!
flaming
Well-known member
I'm not sure about posting this... But here goes.
After this thread first appeared in 2018 I looked at Speedseal and decided it could be a good little addition for our company, principally because it was well within our ability to manufacture and we were already dealing with most of the buyers you would target to grow sales. I could also see that there was the potential to improve the design from a cost of manufacture point of view without sacrificing the usability of the product. I contacted Alex and things looked good, so we met to discuss. Unfortunately we were not able to reach a mutually acceptable valuation, by some distance, so it did not go anywhere.
After this thread first appeared in 2018 I looked at Speedseal and decided it could be a good little addition for our company, principally because it was well within our ability to manufacture and we were already dealing with most of the buyers you would target to grow sales. I could also see that there was the potential to improve the design from a cost of manufacture point of view without sacrificing the usability of the product. I contacted Alex and things looked good, so we met to discuss. Unfortunately we were not able to reach a mutually acceptable valuation, by some distance, so it did not go anywhere.
dgadee
Well-known member
His patent rights have expired. The "invention" is now in the public domain. 20 years is the period of protection for patents (from application date) - supposing one pays the annual fees -and after that it is for the public to use in any way they wish, including commercial manufacture. That is the agreement between inventor and state. When you discussed manufacture with him in 2018 he would have known that his rights to stop anyone else taking the idea were no longer in force. Of course, in 2018 there would be goodwill in the company and mark, but that is a different thing.
Tim Good
Well-known member
Please crack on. I appreciate the need to protect good idea with intellectual property but as said that was 20 years ago and now we just need a good product for boat users.
If you can make them to the same quality and make a little cash yourself then go for it.
If you really wanted you could voluntarily pay the inventor some voluntary royalties out of respect for his original invention. I’m sure everyone one wouldn’t mind paying an extra £10 if that’s what you’d have to add to give a little back.
At the same time please can you contact the yacht leg company and start producing the beaching legs again please!
Praxinoscope
Well-known member
Flaming #47 I’m sorry to hear that you couldn’t come to a mutually satisfactory agreement, although a niche product it was well designed and proved very popular, an ideal product for a small engineering company.
It’s not just new sales that are a potential opportunity, but the spares /replacement that could provide maybe not a highly lucrative market but certainly a regular and acceptable turn-over.
It’s not just new sales that are a potential opportunity, but the spares /replacement that could provide maybe not a highly lucrative market but certainly a regular and acceptable turn-over.
Neeves
Well-known member
So...
Now that dgadee advises that you can go ahead without qualms - might you manufacture?
It is all a bit sad - it might be that Alex knew fine and well he could not enforce his patent and relied on your ignorance and hoped you would pay over the odds. Alex made the wrong judgement call but if he had been less financially focussed you could have agreed terms. As it is - you can now go ahead and he makes nothing.
There is a lesson in there somewhere.
Jonathan
flaming
Well-known member
Oh, I know about patents, our own has just expired which is causing me some grief currently, but shall we just say that he disagreed with that assessment.
There are a few reasons why I decided not to just make it anyway and sell under a different name that I'm not going to get into. In all an opportunity that could have worked in carrying on from what he had built, but not one that is for us to restart from scratch.
dgadee
Well-known member
Yes, bit sad. Good product. I had one on an engine.
Praxinoscope
Well-known member
Wonder if a ’crowd funded’ project could get off the ground, backing a small engineering company?
Jungle Jim
Active member
Did somebody ask for a small engineering company? I might be up for this if I'm not treading on Flaming (or anyone else's) toes? Are there many variants around?
RivalRedwing
Well-known member
bit of a shame... value is really only what someone is prepared to pay and it would appear that the current owner will receive nothing and is prepare to let a good product 'rot' ...
flaming
Well-known member
Have sent you a pm.Did somebody ask for a small engineering company? I might be up for this if I'm not treading on Flaming (or anyone else's) toes? Are there many variants around?
Neeves
Well-known member
Did somebody ask for a small engineering company? I might be up for this if I'm not treading on Flaming (or anyone else's) toes? Are there many variants around?
I note Flaming is, apparently, going to offer you help and encouragement - If you follow through - let us all know.
I have strong views on using YBW to market product - and my views are not shared by many - but be careful (because I find the rules slightly ambiguous)
Jonathan
dslittle
Well-known member
I would be very happy to find a ‘Speedseal’ advertised in the For Sale Forum in due course…
Roberto
Well-known member
Is the Spade anchor patent still valid? Came out 20ish years ago.
Or Fortress, even older.
Or Fortress, even older.